Busted: Woman shares on radio she lied to judge about jury duty

Denver
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A Colorado woman has gotten herself in hot water. First she lied to a judge, and if that weren't risky enough, she bragged about it on the radio, only to now been busted for her actions.

Guess who was listening to the show at the time?

It seems a local judge heard the woman bare all, and not just any judge.

Ironically, it was the same judge who swore the woman in, ultimately excusing her from serving her civic duty, presumably believing the woman's reasonings of why she not fit to serve in a jury.

And the judge apparently was not amused when she learned it was all an elaborate hoax. The woman has now been formally charged, reports ABC News 7 in Denver.

In June 2011 Susan Cole was called for jury duty and, not wanting to serve, she purportedly created a plan to convince the judge she would be a poor juror. A beautician by trade, Cole allegedly dressed up in hair curlers, "clown makeup" and mismatched shoes when she appeared at court.

“I put black eyebrows on. I put bright red lipstick on. I left my hair in my curlers, and I put on a tee shirt that said ‘Ask Me About My Bestseller,’’ she told the KOA radio hosts on the "Dave Logan Show" in Oct. 2011, reported CBS News.

Cole allegedly told the radio hosts how she and clients would laugh so hard when she shared this story and about how she also told Judge Anne Mansfield she had a mental disorder, PTSD from serving in the military and experienced domestic violence and homelessness.

"When they asked me about mental issues I got up and said, 'Yeah, I have some mental issues.' Then the judge said, 'Does anyone care if she leaves?' And everybody else said all at once in a great big voice, 'No,'" she said.

Judge Mansfield dismissed her from the jury pool immediately, per media reports, and Cole's part in this aspect of the legal system was over.

Or so everyone thought. Now that the judge has found out her alleged deception Cole will be experiencing the legal system in another capacity, as an accused. Cole had used an assumed name, "Char from Denver", on the radio show, but it turned out to be her pen name and the judge was able to trace the caller after hearing the familiar tale.

Prosecutors asked for documented proof of her illness, but instead she gave them a copy of her book which reportedly details with "difficult relationships," reported Reuters.

Cole, 57, was charged on Thurs. with attempting to influence a public servant and a felony first-degree perjury charge. If convicted, she faces a possible jail sentence.

A CBS local affiliate in Denver reported Lynn Kimbrough with the Denver District Attorney’s Office said in a statement, "The charges allege that on June 28, 2011, Cole knowingly made false statements under oath during jury selection in a Denver District Courtroom and that her deceit was an attempt to influence the court so that she would be excused from jury duty."